What are you going to wear? Sometimes there’s an easy answer. Sometimes not. Sometimes it’s good to look at a few suggestions then add your own tweaks and ideas. That’s what these are for. The weather has turned and thicker fabrics and rougher textures have made their way into most of our wardrobes. This outfit combines a lot of those seasonal textures without making you look like Randy from A Christmas Story.

The Blazer: J. Crew Factory Thompson Tweed – $94.80 ($198) w/ EARLYBIRD. Here’s how this works. JCF is running a 40% off site-wide (no-code needed) sale right now. Prices are good. Not spectacular, but solid. But if you stack the 10% off 2 items / 20% off 3 items code EARLYBIRD, things get extra nice. So,there are three pieces from JCF in this scenario because: A. They look good, and B. we’re maximizing the code. Prices shown here reflect using that 20% off three items deal.

The Shirt:J. Crew Factory Heathered Plaid – $30.80 ($64.50) w/ EARLYBIRD. Plaid without the lubmerjack. Cooler tones help do that. No need to go with a full flannel shirt here, since that tweed blazer should keep you plenty warm.

The Pants: GAP lived in Slim Moleskin Pants – $42.22 w/ MERRY.Moleskin is hugely underrated when it comes to pants. These should be soft, warm, and have a bit of a brushed feeling to them. Yet still tougher feeling. Like… the skin of a mole. Ah. So that’s why…

The Coat:Topman Wool Blend Trench – $180.00. SIZE UP. Topman runs real trim, plus, you’ll be layering underneath. A new addition to Nordstrom’s outerwear lineup. Almost just like the grey version that took best-in-show this year in the outerwear roundup… only navy and with a different collar. Terrific for under $200. Chest high handwarmer pockets. Feel free to ditch the belt if it’s not your thing. Ships and returns for free. UPDATE: Looks like this thing is 20% off at Topman through today, 11/19. Hat tip to Jose in the comments…

The Boots: Ralph Lauren Suede Norbeck – $89.99 ($179). Suede isn’t the best choice if you’re in a monsoon or a blizzard, but at this price, the rich texture of suede on a normal late fall or winter day is worth getting it mucked up a bit. Lots of sizes. Ships free too. UPDATE: Use the code CSS9460 to take an extra 10% off. Many thanks to BenR in the comments.

Must Reads

Comment Rules: Write only what you’d say to a person’s face. Keep it civil and when you disagree, propose an alternative. Thank you for adding to the conversation.

Kevin Vu

Nice outfit, Joe. This is good for ideas on winter dress. Quick question: I sent an email to you a while back using the “Email us” button on the right side but haven’t received a response yet. Is there a better way to get a hold of you? I had some questions about sport coats because the ones suggested in a couple older articles are no longer available.

Will

Suede? Weren’t the aliens from Signs covered in suede? Look how that worked out for them. Perhaps it would be a good idea to include a link to a sealing spray with those bad boys. I’ve used 3M spray on suede chukkas before and it significantly increased their usefulness in inclement weather.

Otherwise, it looks great. Warm, comfortable, safe but stylish. I might throw in a J. Crew (factory?) scarf on the off chance it gets really cold.

jamie

Joe, looks like those moleskin pants are more of a chino style/cut than 5-pocket jeans. Maybe you were thinking of the Lands End variety…?

http://dappered.com Joe

YES. Whoops. Still like the looks of these and then some. Fixed. Thanks Jamie.

John O’Mara

compared to levi’s how would you say the waist in those pants run? small/big?

Kiyoto.K

I can vouch for that topman trench! I love it. Nice weight to it, perfect length. Canadians if you go in-store to The Bay, you can pick it up for 160!

atrain714

Can you do a post on the cold wet day? I walk to work (20 min) in the Pacific NW and would love some advice on staying dry with style

Suede is much, much more durable and resistant that popular internet belief among the menswear community would have one think. There are numerous conversations about this on SF. Water isn’t so much of a problem as dirt is. In fact, there is a whole cleaning method for suede where you clean it under running water.

Josh Dreyer

Made out like a bandit on the Topman trench. Wait for a Topman web code…ended up paying $120 for mine! Just got it in the mail last week. Love this coat!

Jose

How much was the code for? I just checked their website and they are running a 20% off code on everything. Drops it to $144.

Josh Dreyer

I got their codes to stack two weeks ago. Signed up for their newsletter and got an additional 15% off (Had to wait until the next day for the code, though).

Jose

I think I’m just going to pull the trigger on the grey one. Been waiting for this coat for a while now. $144 ain’t bad at all. I have a topman in my city (Chicago) so I can return to store, exchange, etc. Usually wear M in almost everything from J.crew, Gap, etc. Going with a L based on Joe’s/Nordstrom’s recommendation.

Joe: I confirmed that the Navy trench is currently on sale at Topman.com 20% off brings it down to $144.

BenR

I may not be from Alaska, but the outfit you’ve described seems like serious overkill if you’re basically dodging from house to vehicle to workplace. When I lived in Minnesota, my 20 minute walk to work was perfectly comfortable with an ordinary outfit (chinos, button-up, sweater, work boots) plus long underwear, the usual cold weather accessories, an extra pair of wool socks, and an extra outerwear layer (lightweight down jacket under a heavier wool shell). I wore that kind of outfit in temps between about -20*F and 10*F.

Don’t get me wrong, dressing like a yeti makes sense if you’re going to be outside all day or just standing around in the cold. If you are just dressing to get to and from the office or the store, though, a few extra, well-chosen layers can “winterize” just about any ordinary outfit without needing to go full-on mountain man.

Jay

Really love those boots, but now that I’m firmly on the dalton train and I already own two pairs of boots, I don’t need to covet another pair.

Josh Dreyer

I also ordered a size up. Pretty sure the arms would’ve been too small had I ordered a M like I do with Banana Republic. Nice work!

BenR

Extra 10% off RL with code “CSS9460.” Brings boots to $80.

Sigtweed & Corduroy

Dang, now I might have to buy these.

Sigtweed & Corduroy

Anyone know how the boots fit? TTS? Usually most boots I have to buy a half size down…

Ronald William Combs

I’m from Seattle and interested too, but really, isn’t it this + umbrella?

http://dappered.com Joe

Awesome. Thanks Jose. Updated above…

BenR

I ordered a couple sizes to try out. Return shipping is $5, which seems like a reasonable cost to try them on in-person.

Seth Pollins

I don’t see that exact coat on Topman’s website. How did you find it?

fash1on

i have the gap basic belt. it’s made in the usa. you can’t go wrong with it.

Matt M

Argh! Thanks Joe. For under $100, I finally broke down and bought that sport coat.

Seth Pollins

Hi, all! Any opinions on wearing that navy trench coat with a navy suit? I need a cool-weather coat to wear with my navy suit. Perhaps grey would be better But the navy trench would suit the rest of my wardrobe much better…Any thoughts?

TheLordFlasheart

I bought similar moleskin pants at The Gap last year. Mine look identical (although the colour on mine seems a tiny bit lighter) but they’re 3% spandex. I’m glad that mine have the spandex as I find that 100% cotton pants can stretch out over the course of the day. On some pants it’s not an issue but with the fit of some Gap pants I have in the past suffered from “saggy diaper butt” after said stretching…

But the moleskin is soft and it’s a bit of an unusual look. Lots of compliments on the pants, and the women in my office loved the feel of the material.

ARP

I like the idea of texture, but I think the moleskin + suede= overkill (especially with the tweed). I’d go with a pair of chukka’s or even Red Wings if you want a more rugged look.

BenR

Personally, I think all these textures together are the bee’s knees. Fall is for texture! …and pie!

Plus tweed and suede aren’t exactly novel in the world of menswear. The moleskin pants are really the only unusual element in this outfit.

Jose

Just got my code! Too late now but for future reference its “SIGNUP15″ in case anyone still wants to buy the jacket and get 15% off.

Jose

Sorry I missed your comment earlier, but if you’re still interested here is the link. Use code SIGNUP15 to get 15% off. Not sure if it’s linked to my account specifically but give it a try.